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Letters

It makes sense to redevelop Lantau Island
I agree with Chu Ka-kin's letter ("Lantau has so much potential to become a multi-function hub", September 2).
While Lantau already has some famous landmarks, such as the Big Buddha and Ngong Ping village, many tourists still think it is too remote and they stay in urban areas of Hong Kong. The government is right to want to redevelop some areas of Lantau to get more of these tourists to visit the island.
More shopping malls, hotels and restaurants should prove popular if they are built fairly close to the airport.
This can take the pressure of those urban areas like Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok that are struggling to cope with the crowds of tourists in what are already heavily congested parts of the city.
The government also has to promote the unique natural heritage of the island, such as its country parks, so that more people come from abroad to hike and have picnics there. This is offering them a different, greener, holiday experience.
Whatever redevelopment schemes are promoted, the administration must ensure that the country parks are preserved, given that they are important habitats for different species of animals and plants and trees. These sensitive eco-systems must be conserved.
If the right kind of redevelopment projects are chosen and the right balance is maintained between preserving the environment and infrastructure projects, this can help Hong Kong's economy and make it more competitive.
Yumi Wong Sheung-yi, Tiu Keng Leng
 
No intention of being impolite to visitors
I refer to the letter by Angelo Paratico ("Forced out of museum with indecent haste", September 4).
As a general practice, the house announcement is made 10 minutes before the Museum of Art closes to give sufficient advance notice to visitors. Another round of announcements will be broadcast again at closing time.
If there are still visitors in the gallery after the final round of announcements, staff at the gallery will approach these visitors to remind them that the museum is closed. They have always been advised to be friendly to people when performing their duties.
In the case of the group visit of Mr Paratico on August 30 to the museum, we are sorry to note his unhappy experience. As we understand it, a member of the gallery staff approached the group to advise them of departure after the final announcement at 7pm and indicated (with a hand) the locations of the gallery exits.
We are sorry that the gesture was perceived to be an unfriendly one. Meanwhile, other attendants leaving the gallery were standing at the gallery exits and this might have unintentionally created an impression of forcing visitors out.
We thank Mr Paratico for bringing to our attention his unpleasant experience, and apologise. We shall step up our regular customer service training for front-line staff.
Our museums will continue to strive for excellence in providing a pleasant and enjoyable experience to our visitors.
Eve Tam, museum director, Hong Kong Museum of Art
 
Famous actors should have been careful
The story about hackers stealing nude photos of celebrities (including singers Rihanna and Avril Lavigne, and actress Jennifer Lawrence) which were stored online, highlighted once again the problem of internet security, which is nothing new.
In these cases it looks as though these celebrities did not do enough to protect their privacy.
I accept that the hackers were completely wrong and this was a violation of privacy. They have committed a serious crime.
I hope they are caught and prosecuted.
However, these well-known individuals should have at least changed their passwords frequently to make their computers more secure.
I really do not know why people would take pictures of themselves naked, but surely if they do they should avoid storing them in their computers.
The celebrities were let down by Apple's iCloud platform, which had not done enough to ensure security for its customers [but which is now beefing up security].
Lo Ming-sum, Kowloon Bay
 
Tiny marine park deserves our support
I refer to Jake van der Kamp's column ("Funding crucial to third runway debate", September 4).
Van der Kamp is wrong. The proposed tiny marine park to offset the environmental impact on the dolphins isn't a red herring. It is part of an extended expenditure.
It will mean spending more money on top of an already enormous sum.
There is a saying that you "can bring the buffalo to the water but cannot force it to drink".
We presume that the dolphins will obediently migrate to the new marine park once it is completed, like cruise liners queuing to use the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. A marine park should be created if we care about the environment and future generations can appreciate Hong Kong's assets.
It is not supposed to be a trade off and it will not come cheap and of course construction costs have gone up, with estimates for a third runway of HK$200 billion.
Some much larger projects on the mainland are being built by Hong Kong entrepreneurs on a smaller budget.
Instead of van der Kamp's suggested use of Shenzhen airport, we should consider buying shares in Zhuhai's airport and utilise it as a low-cost terminal since there is heavy opposition to certain operators doing business out of Hong Kong.
After all, the Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Macau bridge now under construction, will connect the two cities.
Using the airport would mean there would be greater usage of the bridge.
James Wang, Ma On Shan
 
Ensure tree checks on private land
The accident in which a woman died after a tree fell on her in Mid-Levels last month highlighted the problem that exists with tree safety, which the government needs to look at.
No government department is responsible for trees on private land and owners of such land do not have sufficient knowledge to ensure their trees are healthy and safe.
The government needs to introduce legislation to make it mandatory for owners of private land to take out insurance policies on the trees in their care.
Also, they should have to undertake an inspection of all these tree by accredited experts once every five years. The government should be willing to provide that service to the landowners at an affordable price.
This will ensure landowners organise the checks in order to reduce the risk of tree accidents.
Choki Chung Cho-kiu, Hung Hom
 
Prospects of owning a flat remote
Most citizens in Hong Kong use most of their salaries to pay necessities like rent and food. Many find that after essential expenditure, they have little left to spare at the end of the month.
This means that their chances of owning their own home are remote and the prospects are made worse by rising inflation.
Given that even a tiny flat can cost as much as HK$3 million, what is the likelihood of young people being able to buy one no matter how hard they save and how many decades they have to work?
Prices keep rising, in part due to wealthy mainlanders who are targeted by property agents.
The government has to come up with a more effective strategy to ensure that more Hongkongers can one day have their own apartment.
Bonnie Wong Kong-ki, Kowloon Tong


Letters to the Editor, September 10, 2014

Visitors told museum is about to close. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Lantau has so much potential to become a multi-function hub

Citygate in Tung Chung. There will be further development and expansion in the new town.

Letters to the Editor, September 4, 2014

Pedestrians get a raw deal in urban areas. Photo: Felix Wong

Funding must be front and centre in debate on third runway

It is rank negligence to separate the cost from the purchase decision on the third runway. Photo: Reuters

Opinion

While Lantau already has some famous landmarks, such as the Big Buddha and Ngong Ping village, many tourists still think it is too remote and they stay in urban areas of Hong Kong.
